Telangana HC calls for action plan to prevent stray dog attacks on children
Orders were issued to the government’s Animal Birth Control Committee to implement the ABC Rules 2023, effectively
By Newsmeter Network Published on 18 July 2024 3:13 PM GMT
Representational Image.
Hyderabad: In light of the increasing number of stray dog attacks, the Telangana High Court directed the State government to come up with ideas and methods to stop the attacks, especially on children.
On Thursday, a Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Jukanti Anil Kumar, issued orders to the government’s Animal Birth Control Committee to implement the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, effectively.
Responsibilities of the Animal Control Committee
The committee is formed to consult various animal welfare organisations in the State and suggest and put forth measures, which can be implemented to stop the incidents of infants getting killed and elders getting attacked by stray dogs.
CJ Alok Aradhe showed the newspaper clipping in the court hall which reported on the critical health condition of an infant who was attacked by a pack of stray dogs in the city. This should stop, the CJ said.
Sterilisation is not enough
The chief justice, during the course of hearing of the suo motu PIL, observed that mere sterilisation of stray dogs will not stop them from attacking infants and elderly people.
“The GHMC, the State government, the animal welfare organisations, the animal birth control committees and other bodies should come up with concrete solutions. We have to find a way to stop the incidents of stray dogs attacking and killing infants,” the CJ said.
The animal birth control rules, 2023, provide for sterilisation of the dogs. But this does not stop them from attacking infants and elders. Hence, we have to find a solution to this issue, the chief justice said.
Telangana has 3,79,156 stray dogs
Addl AG Imran Khan informed the court that the State Government, along with constituting the committee, is working in tandem with the GHMC and making efforts to end the stray dog menace, which has become frequent.
Imran Khan further informed the court that there are 3,79,156 stray dogs in the State and except for sterilising them, there is nothing else the State can do. Sterilisation can only lower the ferocity of the stray dog but nothing more than that, the addl. AG said.
The Division Bench was adjudicating a PIL based on a newspaper report on February 22 about the ‘death of a four-year-old boy namely Master Pradeep from the attack by a pack of dogs in Amberpet.’
The hearing was adjourned to July 31.
